


to catch a thief

by isloremipsumafterall



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 15:04:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5053399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isloremipsumafterall/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam meets Kasumi when she sneaks on board the Normandy one day and it somehow turns into a game</p>
            </blockquote>





	to catch a thief

Sam couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, even going so far as running the ships sensors again but nothing came up beyond the usual.

 

She must look particularly puzzled over it because Shepard droped a hand to her shoulder a few minutes later and shot Sam a concerned look.

 

“Everything okay?”

 

“Yes, fine, I mean it all looks fine.” Sam frowned again. “There’s just…it almost feels like there’s another presence here. And I don’t mean like EDI and her being everywhere in the ship at once or like it’s haunted or anything…” She winces at that, trying not to think how many people lost their lives when the Collectors invaded the ship – she read the report after all.

 

To her surprise Shepard just sighed and then: “Kasumi you can stop now.”

 

From the corner of her eyes she saw the flicker and then in the next second there was a woman standing there, tapping on her omnitool.

 

“You’re no fun Shep.” The woman – Kasumi- pouted, walking over to them though it’s less like walking and more like gliding since her feet don’t make a sound on the floor and Sam couldn't help but stare at her in wonder.

 

“Stalking my ships Comms Specialist is not what I think she considers fun, Sam this is Kasumi. Kasumi, Sam.” Shepard gestured between the two of them.

 

“I wasn’t stalking, just happened to be in the same room and I was trying to figure out how to get through the vents, I see you’ve blocked them up more since that attack.”

 

The name rings a bell in Sam’s head and she gasped, “You’re Kasumi! I’ve read about you, I mean your dossier and the whole…thief thing.”

 

“Well a girl’s gotta live.” Kasumi rested one hand on her hips and tilted it in a move that Sam can tell is meant for distraction and it worked, giving Kasumi a once over.

 

“I didn’t mean to imply it was a bad thing – wait.” Sam stoped, feeling a little flustered at the turn of conversation and trying to think how she got here.

 

She caaught Kasumi’s amused smile and narrowed her eyes – it’s like chess that’s all, Kasumi’s played her.

 

“Oh, all right, I see.” Sam crossed her arms, “You were watching me long enough to know where to catch me off guard.”

 

“You got me.” Kasumi shrugged, “No hard feelings?”

 

“No it was very good, I’ll have to be more on guard to get you next time.”

 

“Please,” Kasumi grinned, “No one’s been able to catch me. I think I might like to see you try.”

 

Then in another flicker of light she was gone, an invisible force brushing against Sam’s arm and a soft laugh in Sam’s ear.

 

“Does she always do that?” Sam asked Shepard once she was sure Kasumi had left.

 

“You have no idea.” Shepard replied, shaking his head and sighing.

 

“Interesting.” Sam rocked back on her feet and hummed, filing that information away.

 

~~

 

Kasumi didn’t make an appearance for another month and it was less making an appearance and more Sam knew she’d been there by the fact there was present on her bed and that the room had been locked with no records of entry.

 

“What’s this then?” Sam mumbled curiously to herself as she picked up the rectangular box and slipped the wrapping off.

 

In her hands was the exact model of toothbrush, with special mass effect fields, that she’d been trying to requisition for weeks.

 

If she checked inventory of stores that she had been looking into she had no doubt she’d find one missing.

 

“That’s actually very sweet Kasumi, thank you.” Sam said the air around her, smiling at the gift. “But I’m still going to catch you.”

 

~~

 

EDI was of course the first person she recruited in her attempt to catch Kasumi, since she had been here before while Kasumi was on board was an added bonus.

 

“I believe Kasumi’s interest were limited to thievery and watching Jacob during his morning work-out routine.”

 

“So you don’t know anything that might entice her? Even a little?” Sam sighed, tapping at the padd in her hand in hopes that something would come up during her search under Kasumi’s name.

 

“I believe she likes poetry.”

 

Sam looked up at to see the unexpected voice of Liara who was innocently sipping on a drink.

 

“And art.” Liara added with a tilt of her head.

 

“Then I’ll just…steal the Mona Lisa for her for a bait.” Sam laughed at herself with the idea and then paused, “Hey Liara do you happen to have any old Prothean or Asari art on you?”

 

“Don’t even think of it.”

 

“Worth a shot.”

 

~~

 

_Thanks for the book, not normally what I take but worth a look._

 

Kasumi had left the note in place of the poetry book that Sam had placed on her bed and written about in an email to Steve.

 

The book she had placed with a weight sensitive trigger underneath that would activate a force field large enough to trap whoever might take it.

 

That was gone too, in its place was a box of chocolates.

 

“Back to the drawing board then.” Sam popped a chocolate in her mouth and smiled around it, making a note to send a message to Steve that she’d gotten nice chocolates as a thank you.

 

~~

 

Her next attempt was an omnitool that she’d gotten special ordered to detect a greater number of things using an algorithm she had designed. She’d actually been quite proud of it so it was nice to see Kasumi lounging on her bed tapping away at it when she got in that day.

 

“Do you like it then?” Sam asked excitedly.

 

“It’s almost a work of art, definitely worth stealing.”

 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Sam shook her finger at Kasumi, “It’s still here and so are you, that’s not quite stealing, for now you’re just borrowing and since I came in to find you here…”

 

“Doesn’t count.” Kasumi hopped off her bed with ease, showing that Sam’s idea to rig the omnitool to send a signal to EDI and alert her right away if it had left the confines of her bed hadn’t worked. “See?”

 

“All right how did you manage that?” Sam was more curious and less angry that it hadn’t worked.

 

“Secrets. Wouldn’t be the best thief in the galaxy if I gave those away.” Somehow Kasumi had gotten into Sam’s personal space without a sound, this close she could actually see the dark eyes normally hidden by the shadows under Kasumi’s cloak.

 

“I suppose not.” Sam agreed, watching Kasumi carefully.

 

“So are we going to keep this flirtation up or go straight for the date?”

 

“Um,” Sam froze, “What?”

 

“Is that not what we were doing?” Kasumi did that same move as before, with her hips and Sam bit her lip to not let it distract her for a second time. “I mean, I got you’re a toothbrush and chocolate, you got me poetry and this wonderful new tool…I can keep at it but can you keep up?”

 

“I could keep up!” Sam grinned, “I was going to find the Mona Lisa for you.”

 

“That’s cute, you think I don’t have it.”

 

“Wait do you?”

 

Kasumi merely smiled.

 

“Oh all right, I’ll find out later. Date it is.”

 

“Excellent, I know all the best routes to restaurants on the Citadel.”

 

“Legal routes?”

 

“Depends on whose definition.”

 

~~

 

“Still doesn’t count.” Kasumi mumbled, nearly asleep in the bed with Sam’s arms around her waist.

 

“Does too.” Sam shot back, yawning midway through.

 

“Not if I want to be here.”

 

“Hm,” Sam agreed sleepily, shutting her eyes.

 

“It’s a good thing Shep’s new apartment has so many bedrooms or we would be overcome by other guests by now.” Kasumi sounded a little more awake and thoughtful and Sam sighed against her skin where her face pressed to Kasumi’s neck.

 

“Explore later, sleep a little now.”

 

“I could find you something nice.”

 

“Like what, Shepard’s underwear? I’ll pass.”

 

“Spoilsport.”

 

“Says the one who lost the game.”

 

“Don’t be silly, I stole you.”

 

Sam sat up a bit, staring down at Kasumi who looked too smug.

 

“I caught you.” She retorted. “With my charms and everything.”

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Kasumi pulled her back down into a kiss.

 

Sam let her, if only to prove how right she was.

 

Somehow 

 

She was right.


End file.
